Processed Food Hurts Your Immune System

Jul 8, 2014

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Bingeing on fast food leaves a scar etched in your DNA which is passed down to your children, study finds

Poor dietary habits get passed down in DNA

A new study has revealed that binging on junk food, such as fatty burgers (pictured) on a regular basis scars our DNA and can lead to a greater risk of cancer, inflammation, infections and allergic reactions

And worse still, if a poor diet of junk food becomes a regular habit, the dietary choices become encoded in DNA and damage the gut’s microbiome, or environment, too, Medical Daily reported.

‘Our bodies are a kind of mini-ecosystem and anything that disturbs our bacteria can alter our health in profound ways,’ Ian Myles of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Maryland

The study suggests that food choices permanently change the balance of bacteria in the gut and can weaken the immune system.

He explained that the Western diet is particularly bad at upsetting people’s immune systems and guts and could even potentially lead to more people suffering from auto immune diseases.

The study says: ‘[It] appears unlikely that synthetic supplements or probiotics will be able to fully counterbalance the damage of our dietary choices, let alone undo them, if they are not accompanied by lifestyle modifications.

‘Of potentially greatest concern, our poor dietary behaviors are encoded into both our DNA scaffolding and gut microbiome and thus these harmful immune modifications are passed to our offspring during their most critical developmental window.’

Previous research has shown that the bacteria in the gut adapts to suit a person’s diet.

The scientists have now found that there are adjustments in both the types of bacteria found and their gene expressions.

Dr Myles advises that people should cut out sugar and fat in processed from their diets and instead focus on fresh sources of protein – and fat – such as fish and meat.

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